Army 1st Lt. Edward Dudick, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, provides overwatch protection in the village of Khormelq during a meeting between village elders and Gov. Azadi Roohul Amin in Afghanistan’s Farah province.

The men and women of the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Farah province work with local residents to make life better in one of the country’s most austere regions.

Farah is no stranger to the destructive ravages of war. After 28 years of strife that included a long Soviet occupation, civil war and harsh Taliban rule, the people are tired and weary – yet anxious to rebuild.

Moving peace and stability forward in Farah is no easy task, given the harsh surroundings and inhospitable conditions of western Afghanistan’s farthest reaches. But, under the watchful eye of Navy Cmdr. Shoshana Chatfield, the Farah PRT is making impressive strides and drastically improving people’s lives.

The PRT works along three main lines of operation, Chatfield said.

“We’re helping maintain security, helping increase the capacity of local government, and helping with reconstruction and development,” she explained.

Most importantly, she added, the Farah PRT connects the people with their government.

“Helping strengthen the systems, services and the offices that exist within the provincial government are what’s essential to our mission,” Chatfield said.

PROVINCE GOVERNOR’S GOALS
Farah Gov. Azadi Roohul Amin outlined what he believes to be the most tangible benefits for the province’s people. “I want to focus on water projects, roads and electricity for Farah province,” he said.

Amin has worked hard to reach the position of governor. He was educated in Afghanistan until 1980, when his family fled to Pakistan. During his time as a refugee in Pakistan, Amin said, he contemplated things that might help his country recover from years of war. The governor said his visions of improved infrastructure in Farah are essential to the long-term peace and stability in the region.

“The completion of these projects will improve conditions in the health, education, security and business sectors,” he said.

The Farah PRT directly supports the governor’s objectives and lends a hand at every opportunity.

“In some cases it’s not reconstruction, but rather construction,” Chatfield said. “Many things are being built from nothing.”

Chatfield and her civil military operations staff recently traveled to the village of Khormeleq with Amin to meet with elders and discuss work on a PRT road-improvement project and a water dam.

“The governor was eager to hear their concerns and will shape these projects to meet their needs,” Chatfield said.

EDUCATION
Education is seen as the most far-reaching strategic priority by the provincial government. The director of education, known only as Atiqullah, is charged with this element of Farah’s recovery.

“Education in Afghanistan will become grafted with the education all over the world,” he said. “We will see much progress here, and that will require our educational system to match other countries of the progressive world.”

One of many unique programs undertaken by the Farah PRT is the construction of a $1.2 million Center for Excellence in the village of Nan Gab. According to Army Lt. Col. James Campbell, civil military operations center leader, the school essentially is a university for higher learning.

“This institution will be localized to Farah,” Campbell explained. “We want to give students an opportunity to stay here, which not only helps strengthen western Afghanistan now, but far into the future.”

It has collateral benefits as well, he said. “A school this large will also generate some localized economic activity.”

Campbell and his team don’t stop at road and school construction.

WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES
“We currently have about 30 various projects we’re actively coordinating with,” he said, adding that he works closely with other development partners such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We all work toward a better Farah and a sound investment for the generations to come.” Campbell said. “What we’re doing is trying to reverse nearly 30 years of atrophy in education and infrastructure here.”

Security and soldiering is the responsibility of the PRT security forces. Army Spc. Abram Wright of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s C Company, 3rd Battalion, 103rd Infantry Brigade, said the security forces support the mission by providing a safe environment for the PRT’s work.

“These PRT missions really help the people out and let us get a lot of face time with the villagers, which builds better relations,” Wright said. “We really like being out here. Just by looking around and being visible, we’re showing the people we want to keep them safe and be their friends.”

WORK FOR FOOD PROGRAM
Army Capt. Jeffrey Simmons works daily to build trust and productive relationships with villages across the vast Farah province. As a humanitarian assistance administrator, he administers a work-for-food program.

“Instead of creating a welfare program, we’re encouraging community participation in projects that need to be done and that they identify,” Simmons said.

In a recent visit to the village of Masow, Simmons’ team partnered with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police to deliver promised stoves and staples to more than 60 workers.

“These people cleaned up debris in the Shaqamamood canal to get ready for the coming snowmelt runoff,” he explained. “They did an excellent job with this tough project, which will pay dividends later. It gives them hope and opportunity by taking an active ownership of their village.”

Chatfield’s passion and enthusiasm for her team’s job is contagious.

“I truly believe in the mission of the PRT,” she said. “It’s pretty clear that guns alone aren’t going to create peace and stability in Afghanistan. The infrastructure of this country has to be strengthened, and we can help.”

Despite the harsh living conditions, the Farah team is exceptionally motivated and upbeat.

“There’s a lot of personal payback in what we do, but some of it is a little bittersweet, because we invest a lot of ourselves in the relationship here,” Chatfield said. “And, it won’t all be finished while we’re here this year, and maybe not next year, so we have to carry that unfinished business around with us when we leave. But we’ll also carry the pride of accomplishment.”

DVIDS
By Air Force Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt
Special to American Forces Press Service

Six chicken farms in the Mahmudiyah Qada received 5,000 chickens each to help further the poultry industry Aug 1, 2008.

“This is the second cycle of farms which have been given chickens,” said Paul Heidloff, the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team lead agribusiness advisor. “Twenty-four farms are set to receive chickens throughout the cycle, with six receiving chickens every two weeks.”

This cycle of chicken distribution is scheduled to flow directly through the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.

“We are on 45-day cycles, starting with the distribution of the chicks until the full-grown chickens are brought for slaughter,” Heidloff said. “The first group that received chickens will see the front end of the holiday, where the final group will see the end.”

Heidloff said chicken prices go up during the holiday, and the farmers are expected to see a much greater profit.

“One major contributing factor to increased profit is the fact that the farmers had to put 40 percent of their profit from the first cycle back into the Bashaeer Al Kayeer Poultry Association of Mahumdiyah,” said David Speidel, embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team. “Funding for this cycle has come from the poultry association, as opposed to Commanders’ Emergency Relief Program funds.”

Speidel said it’s important to note revitalizing the chicken industry is not just about building up the poultry house, but also building a network of people to run the industry.

The farmers are being trained on maintenance of their equipment as well on how to properly care for the chickens to achieve the lowest possible mortality rate. To meet that goal, the chickens are sprayed with a vaccine to help prevent disease.

“If it comes down to using medication we will supply light antibiotics; none of the chickens produced in this area use any type of hormones,” Heidloff said.

Each farm with chickens distributed is expected to have full-grown, ready-for-slaughter, broiler chickens at the completion of each 45-day cycle.

MNF-I
By Pfc. Christopher McKenna
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

Afghanistan – The Kapisa and Parwan provincial reconstruction team civil affairs leader visited a few local villages in the Kohe Safi District and met with Community Development Council representatives, June 24.

The CDC, a body of elected villagers, is given special training to learn how to allocate funds and pick projects that are needed in each village.

Projects are funded through the National Solidarity Program, which works through the Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development.

“The outreach that was involved in this mission was to get to meet some of the CDCs from nine of the targeted villages in the Kohe Safi District,” said Army Capt. Steve H. Kaiser, Kapisa’s and Parwan’s PRT CA leader. “With the information gathered we will start a Quick Impact Project.”

The idea behind the QIP is they calculate how many families are in a village, which gives them a set amount of money per family. This determines the amount of the grant per project.

This helps with reaching out to more villagers, which gives capability to build cultural enhancements, said Kaiser.

“Being able to meet some of these CDCs for the first time, and get their names and pictures was a real break through,” said Kaiser. “These villages are important because we do not want them to become a safe haven for the enemy.”

The ability to interact with villagers creates a sense of morale for villagers and builds trust. Working with the CDCs also lets us get a personal level with the villages, Kaiser said.

“Civil affairs is 50 percent of the Counter conflict,” said Kaiser. “We want [Afghans] to know that we are here to help, not be part of the problem.”

DVIDS
By Pvt. Tamara Gabbard
382nd Public Affairs Detachment

On June 27, 2007, a flash flood ravaged parts of the Rokha District. That day, within meters of the site for a future bridge, 23 people lost their lives when their bus washed off the Molakhel road. This stretch was one of two in Rokha that were destroyed by the floods. The roads have since been temporarily repaired, but vehicular traffic and water from a nearby stream are eroding them and creating very hazardous conditions.

Now, the situation has improved.

More than 100 people gathered today to watch as Haji Bahlol, the Panjshir province governor, officiated the Molakhel Bridge-groundbreaking ceremony. The event signified the start of a four-month, $116,000 construction project for the Rokha District, Panjshir province.

Historically, construction in the area has not proved successful.

Just three months prior to the flood, the first stretch of paved road was completed in the Panjshir province. The 48-kilometer road stretched from the southern tip of the province, known as the Lion’s Gate, to just past the provincial center in Bazarak.

The road was a major symbol of the economic rejuvenation in the once war-ravaged province. Its completion reduced travel time through the southern portion of the valley to the capital city of Kabul.

After the flood, engineers from the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team realized the crossing was far less dependable than originally expected.

A new plan was developed.

The damage left showed that just reinforcing the road would not be adequate to help withstand the power of future natural disasters. Therefore, a combined effort of provincial engineers and the PRT came up with the right solution to the problem: a bridge.

“I want to thank the PRT for our continued cooperation,” said Bahlol, who knew the task was not an easy one.

“The PRT worked hard to get this project and we all thank them for all of their hard work,” continued the governor, motioning to the villagers in attendance.

PRT engineers believe the bridge will help in other ways too.

“Before the flood, the original road crossed over box culverts,” said Air Force Capt. Kenneth McGinnis, a Panjshir PRT engineer. “The road designers thought the water would be able to flow through the culvert, but the June 2007 flood waters were too powerful and quickly overtook not only the culvert but the road itself.

“In those conditions, where the force of the water is so great, a bridge is more likely to survive than a road,” continued McGinnis, who is deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. “The project will sidestep the existing roadway and create a real bridge that allows the water to flow unrestricted.”

The bridge construction takes into account forces of nature, such as erosion.

“Instead of the roadway which has been eroded to less than 5 meters in width, the new bridge will be a 7.5 meter-wide, reinforced concrete structure with layered asphalt stretching across the 24-meter span,” said McGinnis. “It will also have added safety measures such as stone masonry side walls and one-meter-high railings.”

Local villagers in attendance, as well as the governor, voiced their safety concerns relating to the current and temporary road, which the bridge will alleviate.

“Last year’s flood was devastating to the people of Rokha when the road was washed out and many people died as a result,” said Bahlol. “Having a safe roadway is very important for all of Panjshir and especially to the people living right here in Rokha. This will be a better roadway for the cars and a better walkway for the safety of all of the people traveling through Panjshir.”

The current roadway will be temporarily maintained as an alternate route until the new bridge is completed. Once the bridge is completed, the contractor will remove the old roadway and culverts to allow the water to once again flow freely.

DVIDS
U.S. Air Force Capt. Jillian Torango
Task Force Cincinnatus Public Affairs

An initiative to connect Iraqi students and teachers with the rest of the world via Internet is underway in Wasit Province.

The Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team, in concert with the Wasit Director General of Education, started a yearlong initiative in March called Access to Information. The program will provide local schools and libraries with books and resources and open Internet centers to selected secondary schools, universities and municipal library headquarters in al-Hayy and al-Kut, said Vanessa Beary, the PRT public diplomacy officer.

The program started with the opening of an Internet center at the al-Kut Girls Secondary School, March 10, and continued with others at Open University April 18 and a similar opening April 20 at the 14 July Boys School. All of the centers contain 10 computer stations, Internet service, furniture, an air conditioning unit and a generator.

The Open University Internet center will serve approximately 1,000 teachers. It will also serve college professors selected to attend a 14-week online train-the-trainer course, taught by the University of Oregon for English instructors. The course focuses on new language-teaching techniques.

In addition to the Internet center, Open University received several books on behalf of the Advisory Center Organization to supplement the university’s student library. The offering included a Teaching of English as a Foreign Language book used to prepare for the TOEFL test. Higher education schools administer the test to measure English proficiency by non-native English speakers.

The Internet center at the 14 July Boys High School in al-Kut, which was established in 1996, will service 1,000 students. Two future Internet projects are aimed at Badrah and Jassan in the coming months as part of the strategy to close the gaps in outlying areas, Beary said.

Beary wants this to be more than just a project, but to have an impact on the entire community.

“It’s good to have at school for me,” said 16-year-old Caef Raad, a student at the 14 July Boys High School. “I can chat with other people and study on the Internet.”

In addition to the Internet centers and book distribution, the initiative includes refurbishments at district libraries, providing furniture and establishing TOEFL centers in the future.

Task Force Marne
By Spc. LaDonna Jenkins